We have a new English teacher. Well, sorta new. We had a new teacher at the beginning of the year because the former one went on adoptive leave. she's off this entire 2011-2012 school year. The first temp. replacement was here for about 4 months and then she left. She was offered a full time permanent position and who could pass that up? not her. It was also a huge pay increase for her, and teaching special education, which is her passion. We miss her. She was really good with out style of kids.
The principal and I thought that maybe I could get a temp teaching license and take the last 2 classes I need to get certified in this state (to teach). However, he later came to me and said I couldn't be hired because the Superintendent wanted someone with a license now. He thought that sucked and said he was sorry but at least he let me know up front. Amazingly enough, the Superintendent had a friend who needed a job and he happened to be an English teacher. Gee, what a coincidence!
This current guy- let's call him Jerk English Teacher- allegedly had experience with our kids, having worked at a juvenile justice school facility before. He's all cocky and full of himself. He's former military. he's very right wing, conservative, a know it all. He's... a jerk. He has ZERO classroom control or management. More kids during the course of a day either walk out of his classes or get kicked out or get in some sort of trouble. He's belligerent and aggressive with the kids. He doesn't seem to care if they bully each other and he's even made bullying comments to the kids. I do NOT like him at all. Most of the other teachers don't either. And I know that some administrators in our school don't. And I won't tell how I know this fact; I just do.
Because he's an English teacher, he brings his classes to the library once a week, for about 20 minutes each period. These are the most miserable 20 minutes of each period of my entire week. I try and have some structure in the library and get no support and backup. He lets the kids do whatever they want, and sometimes he even changes MY rules. Dude, is in MY library, in MY territory and he undermines me. That really ticks me off. I don't like it. I would never go into his classroom and do that to him.
I have to ask myself, though, is a confrontation with him really worth it. He's only here until the end of June, then the teacher on adoptive leave will be back- and she's amazing! Is he really worth my time or effort? I'm not sure. I'm pretty unpleasant to him at this point and I really don't care how that makes me look. We and I bumped heads the day he made fun a kid; I basically open fired on him in front of his class so they would know bullying was wrong and then I discussed the situation with my Principal who then met with the Jerk English teacher; the bullying seemed to stop, or at least in my presence. But the unruliness of his class is not fun. I thought about telling him that since he can't control the boys, then his classes are not welcome in the library until he he can. I dunno.
I just know that the next time he makes some sexist, conservative, smart arsed comment to me or near me, I might just not be my normal mild-mannered librarian self. I am open to suggestions.
In need of anger management,
Mags
Showing posts with label co-workers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label co-workers. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Shop Teacher
We hired a new English teacher on a one year contract because we had one go on a year long maternity leave. Well, this woman we hired is totally and completely wonderful, awesome and amazing. And she just took a new job and is leaving us.
Our teaching staff is very close minded and conservative and sorta angry. I don't really have a bond with any teacher except with the one who is living. I'm very close to one of the secretaries but otherwise I'm pretty disjointed from the teaching staff. So I am REALLY going to miss the departing teacher.
I've been missing the Wild West lately, a lot. I've missed different things about the area and people, but I miss many of the people I taught with. My best Wild West friend was the Science teacher (she's since moved away, too) and we had a wonderful time in and out of work, even if we spend a lot of time kvetching about the students. I really liked our librarian, the Business teacher and the history teacher. Our home ex teacher was pretty nice, and I like several of the elementary school teachers. And I just adored our shop teacher. Even if he was an alcoholic.
Yes, the shop teacher was an alcoholic. He was this short, loud, dirty old man, actually. Never a dirty old man with the students, but he was with the adult females. I don't think he'd ever follow through with anything, but he liked to leer and talk. I liked him, anyway. He had great stories to tell- fictitious or real we never really knew- and he had a good sense of humor. He wasn't afraid to stand up to our boss, either.
On Wednesday nights we had "Fine art Meetings" and any teacher who wanted to attend was welcome, which involved eating dinner and drinking at the bar. I'm not sure how "art" it was but it sure was fine. He was a real hoot! If he had enough scotch in him, he would tell everyone to watch out because he was on hour 42 of his 36 hour Cialis.
He was a good shop teacher. He let the kids make anything they wanted and he made sure they were safe and knew how to use the equipment. Yes he was lose with rules and policies and well... everything, but the kids who came out of his classes could build a house if they had to. One girl made a solid cherry wood roll top desk for her father. Kids used the lathe and made bowls and other dishes. Seriously, he let the kids make anything, even if meant he was standing in the shop room with a cigarette dangling from his mouth showing them how to use a scroll saw..
He also had a HUGE heart. He would do anything for anyone. He made all the sets for our school plays and never charged the drama department anything. He made stuff for folks all over town, including kitchen cabinets. He let the kids make me a solid oak bookcase and then delivered it to my house. It's not his fault the kids stole the wood from the Catholic church construction project. It's his fault that when he learned they did that he didn't make them take it back... *ahem* He made shelves for my classroom and a cool wooden bowl for me. When my mom died and I ended up being gone for 2 weeks, he went to the Superintendent and told her I could have as many of his sick days as I needed so I could get paid for every day off I needed, whether it was two weeks or 2 months.
I think he liked me because I didn't judge him. I let him be and liked him and went to fine arts meetings most Wednesday. I didn't care that he was drunk by 7pm most nights and a few of those the bartender called me to help Shop Teacher home. He was a funny old guy, with a big heart, and some sad past life stuff. His wife was a sprite and she didn't take gruff from anyone- she was a hoot, too! I'd write his lesson plans for him each week because he didn't know how to turn on a computer and didn't even know the DOE had state shop standards. He'd write down what he was going to teach the kids that week and I'd type it up, so it looked all nice and formal. Oh, and he'd usually write a couple words on a block of wood, give it to a kid to give to me. That's his "rough" draft.
I'm missing him along with the rest of the Wild West, and I hope he's doing great and enjoying retirement!
Maggie
Our teaching staff is very close minded and conservative and sorta angry. I don't really have a bond with any teacher except with the one who is living. I'm very close to one of the secretaries but otherwise I'm pretty disjointed from the teaching staff. So I am REALLY going to miss the departing teacher.
I've been missing the Wild West lately, a lot. I've missed different things about the area and people, but I miss many of the people I taught with. My best Wild West friend was the Science teacher (she's since moved away, too) and we had a wonderful time in and out of work, even if we spend a lot of time kvetching about the students. I really liked our librarian, the Business teacher and the history teacher. Our home ex teacher was pretty nice, and I like several of the elementary school teachers. And I just adored our shop teacher. Even if he was an alcoholic.
Yes, the shop teacher was an alcoholic. He was this short, loud, dirty old man, actually. Never a dirty old man with the students, but he was with the adult females. I don't think he'd ever follow through with anything, but he liked to leer and talk. I liked him, anyway. He had great stories to tell- fictitious or real we never really knew- and he had a good sense of humor. He wasn't afraid to stand up to our boss, either.
On Wednesday nights we had "Fine art Meetings" and any teacher who wanted to attend was welcome, which involved eating dinner and drinking at the bar. I'm not sure how "art" it was but it sure was fine. He was a real hoot! If he had enough scotch in him, he would tell everyone to watch out because he was on hour 42 of his 36 hour Cialis.
He was a good shop teacher. He let the kids make anything they wanted and he made sure they were safe and knew how to use the equipment. Yes he was lose with rules and policies and well... everything, but the kids who came out of his classes could build a house if they had to. One girl made a solid cherry wood roll top desk for her father. Kids used the lathe and made bowls and other dishes. Seriously, he let the kids make anything, even if meant he was standing in the shop room with a cigarette dangling from his mouth showing them how to use a scroll saw..
He also had a HUGE heart. He would do anything for anyone. He made all the sets for our school plays and never charged the drama department anything. He made stuff for folks all over town, including kitchen cabinets. He let the kids make me a solid oak bookcase and then delivered it to my house. It's not his fault the kids stole the wood from the Catholic church construction project. It's his fault that when he learned they did that he didn't make them take it back... *ahem* He made shelves for my classroom and a cool wooden bowl for me. When my mom died and I ended up being gone for 2 weeks, he went to the Superintendent and told her I could have as many of his sick days as I needed so I could get paid for every day off I needed, whether it was two weeks or 2 months.
I think he liked me because I didn't judge him. I let him be and liked him and went to fine arts meetings most Wednesday. I didn't care that he was drunk by 7pm most nights and a few of those the bartender called me to help Shop Teacher home. He was a funny old guy, with a big heart, and some sad past life stuff. His wife was a sprite and she didn't take gruff from anyone- she was a hoot, too! I'd write his lesson plans for him each week because he didn't know how to turn on a computer and didn't even know the DOE had state shop standards. He'd write down what he was going to teach the kids that week and I'd type it up, so it looked all nice and formal. Oh, and he'd usually write a couple words on a block of wood, give it to a kid to give to me. That's his "rough" draft.
I'm missing him along with the rest of the Wild West, and I hope he's doing great and enjoying retirement!
Maggie
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